Carry On, It's Just Another HP Substitute

6:46 pm 9 February 2017

I'd gone through Fangirl a year before and reading snippets of Cath's fan-fiction on the magical world of Simon Snow was my favorite part of the experience. And now, wish granted! That's what we get for having an author who understands the deep emotions of a fangirl. However, halfway through this book, I realized I'd enjoyed reading the world of Simon Snow because it satisfied the inner Potterhead in me and gave me a taste of Hogwarts once more. There were moments where I had to remind myself that it was a published book and not a Harry/Draco fic. And this may have soured my opinion of Rowell as a writer. Just a bit.

The story takes a while for things to pick up a bit. Much of the first half is about setting everything in place and building the world of Watford, but really, who is it fooling? It is without a doubt based on Rowling's Wizarding World and no one needed to be filled in. I felt weird reading something that was basically a substitute of an original work and I couldn't escape into that world without being reminded of that fact.

Simon's the typical hero -- strong, moral, yet rash and slow to piecing things together. Baz was my personal favorite. There's a lot of layers to him, which made him more human than Simon or any other character (ironically). His moral conflict with his own race and questions pertaining to the death of his mother made him a solid round character. He's like a precious cinnamon roll who likes to think he's salty and spicy as hell. Penelope Bunce is an obvious Hermione Granger. Headstrong, smart, and fiercely independent. A classic example for young female readers to look up to. Best of all, she's Indian -- a race that's hardly represented in YA novels -- and she rocks her curves -- a feature that's often used in stories to encourage female characters to change. Agatha Wellbelove on the other hand, her purpose in the book seemed ... pointless. The only part she contributed to the storyline was Simon catching her hold hands with Baz. A typical tool to develop an unnecessary love triangle. She didn't have any ambitions toward anything but to move to California to become a normal person. But I have to admit her lack of interest in the magical world showed some diversity to the idea that not everyone who has magic wants magic.

The spells in Rowell's magical world took some getting used to. Instead of following the traditional Latin-inspired spells, spells such as "open sesame" and "cat got your tongue" made me feel like I was reading a children's book. Oh well.